By Jace Frisbee, photos by Zoe Meints
Many students are asking “What are those mysterious buckets on the teachers’ desks?” Each and every teacher has one that is decorated differently. Inside these strange buckets are several unique things: raindrop-shaped paper with writing on them, mini gold coins, and even pieces of candy.
Administrators Jennifer Anderson and Mick Galloway display their buckets with pride.
Principal Jennifer Anderson organized the buckets for all staff members, hoping to uplift people if they are having a bad day. The idea of these buckets is to have staff members fill them up with nice, complementing notes written on the raindrops. She hopes the buckets will be a positive impact on the staff.
“If I’m having a bad day or if I’m challenged by something, I can look at the pick-me-ups that other people have left for me,” said Anderson.
The buckets are a national movement that a lot of CEOs and large businesses do, and they symbolize several different things, according to Anderson.
One of the symbolic meanings is the lid. The lid represents keeping negative thoughts to oneself so that no one can ruin someone else’s day with a rude or negative comment.
Another symbolic meaning of the bucket is the shovel. Shovels are only used to fill up others’ buckets, not to take away from someone’s bucket.
Teacher Dolly McCall loves her bucket.
“You’re not supposed to use your shovel to dip from other people’s buckets, so you don’t take their happiness or joy they feel away,” said Anderson.
Business teacher Dolly McCall is all on board with the bucket and believes that it is a great idea.
“It makes me happy,” McCall said.
Not all teachers are as excited as McCall.
“I think I do enough talking and showing people how much I appreciate what they do speaking to them,” said social studies teacher Jonathan Owen.
Anderson hopes that the buckets will make positive changes in the staff members’ attitudes and outlook for the rest of the school year.